Special offer for Telstra HD7 purchases

We previously covered Telstra bringing the HD7 to their network, now there is a special offer being ran where should you purchase the HD7 on Telstra you are entitled to either 3000 Microsoft Points or two Xbox 360 games. Though we're not certain what titles are available in this limited offer, Halo:Reach and Kinect Joy Ride are present in the promotional illustration. Fantastic news for our Australian/Kiwis friends!

To be eligible for the above prizes, you must purchase your device before the 31st May, competition doors close on the 6th June. According to Gizmodo, the offer is limited to 5000 prizes and the redemption period is activated on April 13th for which you are required to provide proof of purchase and have a valid Live ID.

SharePoint on WP7 authentication issues?

wp7geek, over at myWindowsPhone, has gone into some detail about how he couldn't access SharePoint via the Office Hub, but could successfully connect in the IE mobile browser. Upon attempting to connect from the Office Hub, the following error message was displayed:

Sharepoint doesn't support this authentication scheme. For assistance contact the person who manages this SharePoint site. You can try opening the content in your web browser instead.

wp7geek moved onto explain the cause of this error, which is apparently due to WP7 not supporting NTLM authentication that is used to login on hosted SharePoint servers. While a workaround is possible until Office Hub is updated, it requires changes on the server side of the connection, which involves contacting your host. They would need to either:

Deploy a Forefront UAG server (UAG settings are built into Office hub)

Enable Forms Based Authentication on the SharePoint Site

Forms Based Authentication (FBA) is basically creating your own login method. To authenticate, a SQL Server, XML, Windows Live IDs, etc can be used. Existing Windows Identities must be migrated to FBA identities to avoid multiple SharePoint identities for a single person. This makes it problematic for hosting companies who may have huge internal SharePoint deployments which reply on windows authentication.

Should you not have the above authentication implemented then you should be able to access the server through Office Hub, but unfortunately if they're not present then you're stuck with IE on your phone for SharePoint.

MIX11 announcements for Windows Phone 7 [Rumors]

(See that big ol' rumor tag? Heed it. What we have here are some rumors from a new source, who, to be honest, is not completely verified. Having said that, what they say will be announced this week at MIX11 is in line with other things we've been hearing officially and unofficially--meaning this is all very plausible. So lets get to it...)

This coming week, Microsoft is hosting their developer conference in Las Vegas, NV, aptly called MIX. They usually announce new tools for developers and roadmaps for features there as well, so it's kind of a big deal as we get a look into what is coming next. Here are a couple of things developers can expect, we're told:

Interoperability: devs can now use both Silverlight and XNA inside a single app

Bundled SQL CE on the device

Full camera API access e.g. for augmented reality apps

Live tiles and push notifications will be improved and easier for developers to use

Like we said, none of the above is exactly crazy and we can totally see Microsoft giving Windows Phone developers these tools, which would really advance the platform. Of course, there's only one way to find out and we'll be there all week covering the event to see if any of this pans out. Fingers crossed.

The Microsoft Stores are put on hold

Recent reports have suggested that the almighty powerful Steve Ballmer has shelved plans to build a staggering 300 Microsoft stores to compete with Apple. While this is probably a good move as they’re still building on WP7’s early days, the question should be put forward to them, do they need the stores? More importantly, do we need them?

iBlast Moki - Review

The runaway success of Angry Birds is proof that physics-based puzzlers are a great match for mobile devices. Lots of short levels and cute characters are the key. iBlast Moki, an Xbox Live title from Godzilab Games is another high-quality game that uses physics for its puzzles. Its bright, endearing graphics and simple controls belie the game’s surprising depth and challenge.

The first thing gamers will notice about iBlast Moki is the Mokis themselves. Seemingly inspired by the PSP game Loco Roco’s character designs, Mokis are little balls with smiling faces. They display a lot of personality for body-less characters, peering around everywhere, taking naps, and looking rather surprised as they get tossed around each level.

Windows Phone 7 app reveals new OS test builds

We just posted about the app 'Dude, Where is my Update?' which focuses on the NoDo OS upgrade (and presumably future ones). In version 1.1 a statistics collecting feature was added which anonymously garnered your OS version and device model numbers--something we thought would be useful.

Looks like some folks at Microsoft or partnering OEMs saw the app too and were curious. One of our readers, larryb, noticed a few hitherto unknown builds of Windows Phone 7, presumably early builds of 'Mango' or at least branches leading to that goal:

7.0.7003 (old)

7.0.7008 (old)

7.0.7355 (old)

7.10.7608 (1 user)

7.10.7613 (2 users)

7.10.7614 (2 users)

The builds which are in bold may signify a new milestone with the 7.1.xxxx denotation versus the earlier 7.0.xxxx. Currently, the latest confirmed build is 7.0.7390 and the most frequent for NoDo is 7.0.7389. Interestingly, we don't see any '7.0.7753' builds, leading one to believe that the Windows Phone Italy post may be hoax/faked.

The app, 'Dude, Where is my Update' has a "local" setting which seems to be pick up all US based users of the app who have run it, giving us a unique insight into the ongoing development of the OS. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft employees will continue to experiment with the program (the app generates an anonymized, non-reversible ID, making it impossible to trace back). You can grab the app here in the Marketplace.

Reminder: Win a Tablet of your choice from TouchType!

Just a reminder, folks that to celebrate 1 million downloads of their SwiftKey keyboard app, TouchType is giving away a tablet each to THREE lucky winners! Which tablets? Whichever the winner chooses so long as they're available for purchase for up to $800 where he or she lives. iPad 2, PlayBook, Xoom, Galaxy Tab are all on the table.

How do you enter? TouchType has put together a small survey which shouldn't take more than five or ten minutes to complete. That's it - well, that and a quick perusal of the official entry rules just to make sure you're eligible (sorry minors and SPE employees). The contest is open to readers of Android Central, CrackBerry.com, TiPb, and WPCentral and ends at midnight Pacific on April 14.

Not familiar with TouchType? You may have also seen that TouchType made a splash at this year's CTIA with their tablet keyboard for Honeycomb - that's coming soon, but SwiftKey is available now for Android devices.

So get cracking on the survey, folks - these tablets aren't going to give themselves away.

Microsoft releases TouchStudio [Developers]

Ever wanted to list all songs on your phone that are less than 3 minutes in duration? Now you can with Microsoft's TouchStudio. Available for free on the Marketplace, TouchStudio allows one to write variables, statements and actions that manipulate the phone with use of APIs.

There's a large array of code that's available for insertion and manipulation while the app remains user-friendly throughout use to invite non-code savvy owners to turn their ideas into executable scripts. The app provides users with access to sensors, radio, media controls, emails, contacts and more.

If anything other than useful, it's a helluva lot of fun to mess around with. As mentioned already, this app is completely free and now available on the Marketplace. Comment below on what scripts you create, including their uses of course!

Dude, WIMU goes to v1.1, gets statistics

For those of you still waiting on your NoDo, or even if you're just curious about those around you, you'll want to grab the new version of 'Dude, Where's my update?'. See our original coverage here.

How it works is you choose from a menu your regional location and phone type and the app does the rest. Showing your current OS version, if you have OS updates ready and now the stats. The stats, both local and global, are actually really neat. As you can see from the above pic, here in New York City there are already 40 users at 6am with the majority running 7004 and eight running 7390. Not bad, NYC, not bad. Scrolling down and you can even see what phones are popular in your area. (Hint: Samsung Focus owns in Manhattan)

We imagine if enough people use this, it can actually be a useful guide for garnering real numbers in your area. The app is of course free and we really dig the whole concept behind it, so endorsement or whatever. You can download it here in the Marketplace.

Students develop WP7 app to combat malaria

A strong team of graduates have been working on an app for Windows Phone 7 that will aid in the fight against malaria, greatly benefiting healthcare workers in remote locations who may not have an Internet connection. Before it gets much-deserved recognition, the team are looking to win the Imagine Cup 2011 national finals in Seattle. The contest, sponsored by Microsoft, invites entrants to "imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems."

Tristan Gibeau, the project's software designer, said "It's going to make a difference in trying to contain the outbreak of malaria. In the big picture, it'll hopefully help in the fight against most diseases out there and make everybody's life a little easier."

The app Tristan and his team have developed uses a a modified smartphone that features a microscopic camera lens. The application takes a photo of a blood sample and identifies malaria parasites, calculates how many are present and draws a red box around the clusters. Not only that, but the stored data can be uploaded for analysis to detect trends. Tristan is also said to be working on an app that detects sickle cells among other diseases.

Post-development and gold releases are planned to be easily adaptable for lab-based microscopes. Next steps for his team include patenting and marketing the application/technology.

What do you think of this entry into medicine for WP7, and how do you think this application (and technology) will impact healthcare workers in more remote, ill-equipped locations?

Verizon Trophy pushed back...again?

We can't be too hard on Verizon here, since they never officially announced the HTC Trophy. But c'mon, we're not dumb either and we know the device exists, have seen pics (more pics), knew it was in final testing stages and that that they were offering Microsoft employees discounts to get it.

That latter part is what this is about as evidently they keep pushing back that "offer" from December, then till April 1st, then April 7th and now...May 5th. That goal line keeps getting pushed back for a reason and we bet Verizon fans are not too happy at all.

MIX11 Outsider brings the social to MIX [Developers]

Yesterday we covered Microsoft's official MIX11 app for next week's big ol' dev conference in Las Vegas (yes, we'll be there) as well as two other third party apps, which are just as good.

Today, we have a new, but very different one from Matthias Shapiro called 'MIX11 Outsider' and it's like a Foursquare plus MIX11:

MIX11 Outsider is the MIX11 app that doesn’t care about your schedule. It cares about something more important: the people you want to talk to, meet, or otherwise hang out with at MIX. Using a map of the conference floor and a simple “battleship” mapping metaphor, you can tweet, email or text your position at the conference. Don’t eat alone in awkward silence… instead find that Twitter friend who doesn’t have a clear picture of themselves in their avatar. Don’t spend half your pre-keynote time waving your hands in the air. Just tap where you are on the map and send out a link like this one.

As you can see from the video, the app is quite awesome and a great way to find out where those people are that you want to chat with. Unfortunately, Matthias has been unable to get the app through the Marketplace, meaning you'll have to sideload it before the conference--not a problem for a room full of devs, just remember to grab the XAP now to have it on hand. And look for @wpcentral / @malatesta77 at MIX11 as well, as we've just loaded up this app. [Edit: no joke, this is one of the nicest apps we've tinkered with--very fast and elegant--a must have for MIX11 attendees!]

CPM or upfront payment? [Developers]

There have been recent reports that developers are noticing a gradual decrease in revenue from CPM (cost per [thousand] impression) advertising within their apps, is this a notable trend due to fluctuations in the algorithm on Microsoft’s side or the amount of active users of that app?

The chart above displays Elbert Perez’s, developer of Impossible Shoota among other WP7 titles, eCPM earnings. The most likely explanation would be that his app(s) were used less than previously - note that uses does not count downloads. Someone could download an app and never run it, thus the adverts not being displayed and contributing to the eCPM. Another explanation could be Microsoft’s advertising algorithm used for each individual app fluctuates with a number of factors, which is more than expected. Microsoft replied to the cries about lower CPM earnings with:

Variation in ad CPM is expected behaviour as the algorithm used in the Microsoft Advertising Exchange for Windows Phone 7 actively learns the performance of each ad-enabled application(s). In some cases, these are sweeping changes. The Mobile Ad Exchange takes into account many variables when determining how an ad impression is valued in real time. This can include, but is not limited to; ad unit categories, location of the device/user and active advertising campaigns.

The chart above shows Elbert Pereze's impression count for the advertisements in regards to the first graph in this article. Comparing them both there is a notable trend with number of impressions almost equalling to the revenue earned. There is a slight dip in revenue while impressions remained at a high level, but this could have been due to the advertisers at the time bidding lower, etc. So what’s the whole shebang about?

Bing app for Windows Phone or is the Bing team confused?

While individual teams across Microsoft tend to have their act together, not all the teams are aware exactly or work together on things--often getting their lines crossed. That's the angle we're taking here with Bing showing off the ability to "Get the app by visiting m.bing.com/download with your mobile phone" and showing of Windows Phone (a Focus no less and an HTC device above).

Basically, we think there are two explanations here:

The Bing team really thinks there is a downloadable version for Windows Phone and/or it is coming--interesting

They're talking about Windows Mobile or just plain wrong--lame

The first option could be curious as it has been reported that the Bing app can also be updated independently of the OS alaMobile Internet Explorer. In fact, we've seen our competition on the iPhone get numerous updates, blowing away our version in terms of features. But we have to remember, the Bing team is just concerned with getting their app on any device, not being beholden to just Windows Phone--that's how Microsoft's intra-companies work/see things.

The second option, unfortunately, is also likely as Microsoft tends to make mistakes on occasion and perhaps the Bing team is just assuming this will work. Either way, it doesn't and to be honest, until we see something that we can download (you can't now), there's not much here except that it is confusing.